It just stopped raining and the sun was starting to make an appearance so we decided to make a break for the door. We eagerly jumped into the car and started to drive with hopes of see something full of nature. We drove for quite a while before seeing anything other than landscapes and then finally we turned a corner and saw two red-tailed hawks in a tree and then a little further down the road we saw one more. All three were a little too far away for a decent picture so we just stopped to admire them for a moment and then resumed driving. About five minutes down the road we found a hawk in a field on the ground. This guy looked much bigger than most red-tails I see but it was still difficult to tell what kind of hawk it was until it took to the air. As soon as he banked to the one side you saw the pattern underneath which made me positive it was a rough-legged. It is so neat to see things that are different. Rough-legged hawks and snowy owls are very similar in their breeding locations, as they both breed in only the most northern parts of Ontario and they only grace us with their presence in the winter months. I think this makes them a little less comfortable with a human presence. Just stopping the car sometimes seems to put them into flight much quicker than some of the other hawks I have seen. Rough-legged hawks can be a light morph colouring and a dark morph colouring but either way they are amazing to see. I have enjoyed both times I have seen them and I can't wait for a third.
